Eitan AFV

Israel's first heavy 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier — a high-mobility, Iron Fist APS-protected vehicle designed to replace the aging M113 in IDF service and field an IFV variant, all battle-tested in Gaza since October 2023.

Overview

The Eitan (Hebrew: אֵיתָן, "steadfast") is an 8×8 wheeled armored fighting vehicle developed by the Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Merkava and Armoured Vehicles Directorate (MANTAK). It introduces a high-mobility wheeled platform to the IDF’s traditionally tracked-heavy APC fleet, carrying a full infantry squad at road speeds up to 90 km/h without requiring tank transporters. The in-service APC variant is armed with a 12.7 mm Samson RCWS and protected by the Iron Fist Light Decoupled active protection system; a planned infantry fighting vehicle variant with a 30 mm or 40 mm cannon turret and Spike anti-tank missiles is still in development. Wikipedia notes the first operational vehicles were delivered to the Nahal Brigade in May 2023.

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